Up in Flames
by SilverPedals1402
Summary: A great fire burned down the wonderful school of Tomorrow Academy. It took 'him' away from his family. Now, his family is convinced that he's still alive out there somewhere. Where, though? Maybe in some crazy scientist's new world perhaps? But what is this new world, and who is this crazy scientist? - Warning: Language and dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here's something I've been working on! I was going to wait to post this, but i had told myself that i had to have at least 5 chapters done before i posted it. So, today, I MET that goal! 5 CHAPTERS ALREADY! Aren't you happy! So, if it gets lots of positive reviews, I can post another chapter sooner! They aren't the longest, yet they aren't short. I know the second chapter is pretty long! ****  
**

**WARNING: first chapter is pretty boring, but it gets a WHOLE lot better... and in future chapters there IS some swearing... O.O I'm normally against them...but well, i couldn't find out words that fit better than the swear words...so be warned!**

**Disclaimer: _IMAA is not mine. NOR will it ever be!_**

* * *

Once upon a time there was a fire. A great fire. The fire was said to have lasted for almost a whole twenty-four hours before the last flame died out. It took three fire trucks to put it out. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Some say it was because of a terrorist attack. Some say it was because of a malfunction in the kitchen. Others say it was because of some kind of lab experiment.

A total of 13 people were killed in the fire. 16 were injured.

The fire was at, none other than Tomorrow Academy.

The fire was sudden and gave little time for students to escape before the entire school was engulfed in flames. The origin of the fire is still unknown. Many crucial facts to the fire, are unknown.

You might know a few of the victims to the fire: Pepper Potts, was injured in the fire, receiving rather large scars on her left arm and leg from severe burns. Happy Hogan received burn scars on his back from rescuing Pepper Potts. Then James Rhodes received a concussion, a few burns, and near suffocation from searching for his friends.

You might be surprised to hear, but sadly, of the 13 people that were killed…Anthony Stark was one of them.

Not even a body was left behind.

* * *

_Two years later_

* * *

Pepper gazed at her left arm, unconsciously running her fingers over the scars that remained on her left arm. She thought of how she received them. That fire. Those flames. _That day. _ That day where she lost him. She could hardly look at her arms and _not _think about that fire.

Even though the officials said he was gone, he was dead, she didn't believe them. She said, "No body, no proof." She wasn't about to accept that her best friend was dead. Rhodey even had his doubts. He said, "It is strange that there is no body." After all, the other twelve that got trapped in the fire still had bodies when they were found.

When they brought the matter to the genius's father, he'd even agreed that it was strange. Unless he'd been holding a flammable chemical, there should have been at least something left behind.

So, for the past two years, she and her friend searched high and low for their lost friend. Surly he'd have to be somewhere. Whether or not he wanted to be found or if he was actually still alive, they didn't care. They were set on finding their friend.

She flinched as the doorbell to her house rang, bringing her out of her thoughts. She stood up, letting her sleeve fall over her scar. She walked to the door to see who it was, since she wasn't expecting anybody.

She opened it to find Howard Stark standing at her doorstep, Rhodey not far behind. She raised an eyebrow as she invited the two inside.

"Howard, what are you doing here?" Pepper asked, honestly surprised. They hadn't really talked in a while. He was a busy man after all.

"I got Rhodey here, to show you guys something I found." Howard said holding up some papers. "Something that might lead you to the whereabouts of Tony."

Both she and Rhodey's eyes widened. So, he didn't know yet. "Really?"

"I think so." Howard said as Pepper led them to the dining room table.

"So what is it?" She asked as she took a seat next to Rhodey. Howard sat across from the two teens.

He unclipped the paper clip from the stack of papers and put the first two papers in front of them. Pepper noticed it was a short biography and a picture of a middle aged man. The two teens read through the paper, about the man.

_Simon Greyson, _a scientist who studied in the science of the supernatural. Anything that seemed out of the ordinary, he studied. Portals, different dimensions, time travel, ghosts, those types of things. He was about 35 years old, he had faded brown hair, grey eyes, and pale skin. In his early years he'd succeeded in making a hologram that could only record messages, but still, the first working hologram. In his attempt to make a portal to teleport humans to some place like work, or a different state, it failed and killed a man. In desperation, saying he'd fixed the problem he'd forcefully shoved a fellow scientist into the 'portal' and killed him. He'd been sentenced to five years in prison. Somehow, he managed to escape 1 year before he'd be released.

"So, you think he has something to do with Tony?" Rhodey asked.

"I think, he'd succeeded in making a portal and somehow teleported himself to the school and set the fire, to hide the kidnapping of Tony." Howard replied. "Then teleported himself and Tony back to his lab."

"Where's his lab?" Pepper asked.

"Minnesota." Howard said, simply as he passed some more papers towards.

"Minnesota?" Pepper and Rhodey both questioned, confusedly as they read the papers.

"Yes, he used to have a lab here in New York, but after he got arrested all his equipment was taken to a storage facility in Minnesota where his father lived, who was also a scientist."

"His father lived in a storage facility?" Pepper asked.

Howard chuckled. "No, he owns the storage facility."

"Kind of like Tony did." Pepper said, more instinctively than anything else, mentioning the armory Tony had before it blew up.

Howard looked down, a sad look in his eyes. "Yeah."

It got silent for a bit, but Howard then looked up a bit hopeful. "I thought, maybe you two would like to accompany me to go see the lab. I'm assuming, that's where Simon would run off to. Since all his studies were there and all."

Pepper couldn't help but smile. "You'd bring us with?"

"Well, I thought since you guys are so close to Tony, maybe if he was there, he'd want to see you guys as soon as possible."

Pepper smiled. "I'd love to go."

* * *

_The next week_

* * *

Howard, followed by Pepper and Rhodey, stepped into the hotel that they were staying in for the time being as they stayed in Minnesota. Since the storage facility, and house of the father, was closer to the capital of Minnesota, they stationed themselves in a hotel nearby.

"So, here we are." Howard said, switching on the lights.

The first thing Pepper did was drop her stuff of at one of the queen sized beds, and lay face first into one of the pillows. Rhodey sat on the same bed, his stuff by his feet. He sighed, relived to be off the plane.

"I think I need a nap." He said.

"Rest all you want, we won't do anything today." Howard said situating himself on the other bed

Pepper couldn't help but feel awkward. She'd just went on a trip to Minnesota with Howard Stark, who managed to clear his schedule for at least a whole two weeks. Who was the father of Tony Stark, the person she's been looking for, for years. Of course it was always awkward when it was someone else's parents that you would be staying with in a hotel. At least Rhodey was there.

Rhodey laid down next to where she was laying and she could have sworn she'd heard him snoring after only about 20 seconds. She hadn't realized just how tired she was until she heard him snoring peacefully next to her.

So, she closed her eyes to sleep.

…

She was awoken when it was time for dinner. They ordered room service and she and Rhodey shared a pizza while Howard got his own thing. After they ate, Pepper and Rhodey channel surfed on the TV for a while. That is until Pepper got bored.

"I know we came here for a whole different reason, but can I go to the pool?" Pepper asked Howard, since he was the adult.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not stopping you, just be back before the pool closes."

Howard couldn't help but feel upset, because he remembered the times he went to hotels his wife and Tony. Tony always asked to go to the pool. So now, he looked at Pepper and he saw Tony. Even if he wanted to say no, he would definitely have a hard time saying no.

Pepper smiled and practically dragged Rhodey behind her as she grabbed hers and his swimsuit and ran out the door.

_The following day_

The next morning, they were situated in the rental car Howard got, and were heading to the storage facility.

Pepper, being the curious person she was, questioned Howard on what the plan was, because after all, storage facility's had locks and security and it wasn't like the father of Simon Greyson was going to let them in easy-peasy.

He replied, saying that he was going to question the man a bit while they waited out in the car. He hadn't really specified what the plan was, but Pepper had suspicions that Howard would either bribe or threaten with his political power. She giggled at the thought.

It wasn't a long drive, but the thoughts running around Peppers head, made the ride long. She was excited to see the end of this. She was finally going to see Tony after two long years. But she was worried about what they would find. Would he be in a good state, a bad state, or dead? Was he even there? Would he be traumatized by something? She didn't even notice that they had arrived at the home of the father.

Well, until she heard the door slam shut. She looked up to see Howard stepping out of the car. They were parked in at the side of a house that was painted an ugly shade of yellow that was on the corner of the block. It was pretty small, and there was a rather large garage in the back. There was a small garden by the fence that separated the two houses.

Before she could investigate the area further, she felt a burning sensation as it seemed like the world was spinning.

Then there was a flash.

Then Nothingness.

**So, how'd it go? Was it any good? Do you want to see the other chapters!? **

**I've been sick for a while, as some of you know, and frankly I still am. I've been stuck on my bed all weekend and I had to suffer tasteless Dairy Queen T.T I couldn't taste the YUMMY treat! It sucked, especially since we only go to Dairy Queen on special occasions, and the ONE time my mom was craving Dairy Queen, i had to be too sick to taste it :'( **

**Fun Fact: _I have a unhealthy attachment to one of my homes we moved away from. My dad used to live at this house near this really AWESOME park with bike trials, a waterfall, an ice cream shop, and hiking trails, that you could go to for free. There was many other awesome places there too! It's called Minnehaha Falls. Then we lived next to a light rail and a movie store. Sorry, now I'm rambling...just look up some pictures. the place is beautiful._**

**I hope you liked the story! It was fun to write and it's supposed to be pretty short, so I'm actually almost done with it so yay! Well, REVIEW and lots of love and I guess as some would say, Virtual cookies to all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was going to wait another day or so, but since you guys seemed so persistent that i updated...HERE it is! Pretty long chapter too! I hope you guys like the chapter, it definitely should be a bit different and I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint...**

**Warning: A swear word, maybe two... so language...thats all really.**

**Just as a little side note, Tony was 17 years old at the fire, so by now the three should be about 19 years. And Pepper new Tony a year prior to the fire. I'm not sure when it was exactly that Howard returned, but I'm pretty sure in the show, Tony was almost 18...so In this story, lets just say Rhodey and Pepper saved Howard. Just so we're clear... I confused myself...unless i already mentioned that...now i'm rambling...sorry...**

**Disclaimer: IMAA is not mine what so ever. NOPE. Not mine.**

* * *

"_PEPPER!" _

_Everything was red. Everything was hot. It hurt. It burned. Flames. Fire. It was everywhere. _

"_PEPPER!"_

_There it was again. His voice. She looked around for him. Only to come up empty handed. She could only see fire and smoke. She reached out, she didn't know why she did, no one was there who could save her. _

_A burning pain flared up on her outreached arm. She screamed as the fallen piece of wood continued to burn on her arm. Just like her leg. She screamed as she felt her skin burn. _

"_PEPPER!"_

_She winced as she tried to stop her screams. It was him. _

"_TONY!?" _

_There was no reply. _

"_Tony!" She called out once more. _

_She heard a scream from somewhere nearby. _

"_PEP-!"_

_She raised her head to look around, as if she would find the source of the voice. Tony. She had to find him. She couldn't lose him. Not again. _

_There was a smashing sound and she looked up hopeful that it was him. "Tony?" Her voice was hopeful, expectant. To her disappointment, it was not him. _

"_Pepper," The 'not Tony' teen said. "We need to get you out of here."_

"_H-Happy…" Pepper managed to say through the pain. _

_The bulky teen made his way to her and hardly registering the pain he must have received, lifted the burning wood off of her. Just as a pile of new burning wood came crashing down to cover his back. He cried out in pain that time. _

"_Happy!" She said. _

* * *

"Pepper! Wake up!"

She gasped and shot up into a sitting position. "Tony!"

"No," Rhodey said. "It's me, Rhodey."

She frowned as she took in the situation. Mechanically, she shoved herself at him and began to sob heavily into his chest. "He's dead! He'd gone! Rhodey, Tony's dead! HE'S DEAD!"

She was sobbing too loudly to hear his comforting words. The pain in her chest just rose and rose and never stopped. Her heart was just ripped out, shredded, and then put back in. Someone took a hammer and broke her heart into pieces. Then laughed as she suffered. Laughed as she cried. Laughed as she desperately tried to fix and mend her broken heart.

He was gone.

He was dead.

She never felt so lonely in her life. So alone.

Her fingers ached from clenching Rhodey's shirt too hard. Her forehead was sweating heavily and she could feel the dampness the tears left behind. She could hardly notice the snot that must have been there too. Her hair was clumping up around her eyes, tickling her nose.

"He's dead!" She wailed, punching at his chest. "He died in that stupid fire. That goddam fire!"

"Pepper," Rhodey said. "Pepper, calm down."

"NO!" She shouted as she raised her arms to punch his chest again. But two hands gripped her hands. She didn't care who it was. "NO, He's dead! He's dead and there's nothing we can do about it!"

She fought against whoever it was that was holding her wrists. Rhodey was acting so calm. How could he!? His best friend is dead, how could he be so calm!? He's an idiot for being so calm! She hated that. "HE'S DEAD! HE'S DEAD! WHY ARE YOU SO CALM!? HUH? WHY!? HE'S DEAD! DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME?

"Pepper, you need to calm down." A new voice said.

An arm was wrapped around her stomach and she was pulled away from Rhodey, against someone's chest. She turned around to hit whoever it was, but instead, she ended up bursting into more tears.

"He's dead…He's dead." She sobbed out, her voice rough and raspy. "He's dead and I LOVED HIM, I LOVED HIM…so much…"

Her voice trailed out as she continued to cry into whoever's chest it was that was now hugging her. Whoever it was, was now running his hands through her hair, rocking as he murmured comforting words into her ears.

It seemed so…fatherly.

"H-Howard…?" She whispered.

"I know. It hurts, but Pepper," He responded in a soft voice. "I'm sure he's alright. It was just a dream. Just a dream."

"A dream?" She asked, looking away. "Then why did it feel so real?"

"It was just a bad dream." Howard replied. "Just a bad dream. Just breathe. It's alright."

* * *

It took what seemed like hours to calm Pepper down. Rhodey and Howard finally convinced Pepper that it was just a dream and that there was still a chance. A chance that Tony was still alive. Not dead. Even though it took a while, she finally calmed down and believed them.

Apparently when she was still out, the two investigated the area they were in. The appeared to have 'teleported' to a 'yet to be named' place. They hadn't found any signs and the place wasn't familiar to any of them. They woke up just outside an old, rundown town. They didn't bother investigating any farther when Pepper was still asleep, so when they noticed her having a bad dream, they woke her up.

Now, the three walked on the sidewalk of the town. It looked country, or western, but still had a bit of a modern touch to it. Like real doors, not the swing open ones, payphones, paved roads, yet some were still dirt roads, and slightly well made cars. Though, the cars didn't really vary in types, and they saw the occasional horse carriage.

"What are we, in the past?" Rhodey asked as they passed a woman in a corset.

"That could be possible," Howard started. "Saying we are dealing with Simon, he did work with time travel machines…"

"Psssst!"

The three turned to where a woman stood, leaning out her doorway. The instant she knew she had their attention, the woman ushered them inside her store.

She led them to sit in some chairs while she locked her door and closed some curtains. Then she pulled up a chair of her own and sat across from them. She stared for a moment, before she sighed.

"You guys are from…_that _place aren't you?" She asked.

"…That place?" Pepper asked, more unintentionally then on purpose.

"The place Sir Sim Stanley comes from, of course. The place with all the…future stuff."

"Sir Sim Stanley?" Rhodey asked.

"Don't laugh, he hates his name, they say his father named him Sim because his wife wouldn't let him name their son, Sin instead. So he chose the closest thing to it. Sim." The woman said.

The woman stood up and dusted off her dress. She wore a red and white corset dress. It had a black ribbon tied around the collar and had black buttons. It ruffled out and had light pick ribbons around her waist. She had a matching hat as well. Her hair was blond and her eyes, blue.

"I'm Madam Ruby." The woman said smiling. "Owner of this fine clothing store."

Madam Ruby stuck her tongue out to the side and seemed to be biting down on it in thought as she looked at them. Her eyes fanned over Howard and Rhodey as she waved one of her half crossed arms in a curious like gesture. She mumbled something to herself and looked over at some shelves in the corner. Then her eyes settled on Pepper. Madam Ruby's hand went to her chin and stroked it with eyes narrowed in thought.

"You like pink, do you not?" She suddenly asked, her head tilted to the side.

"Um…yeah…" Pepper responded.

Madam Ruby's face broke into a smile. "Good, I have lots of pink."

"What exactly are you talking about?" Pepper asked.

"A dress, you'll never get anywhere dressed like that. Especially since you have to go see Sir Sim Stanley." Madam Ruby said. "Anyone who comes from…wherever it is you come from…has to go see him."

"Is this a…traditional thing?" Rhodey asked.

"Not necessarily, but he's a great help, plus he's the only one that knows how to sent you home." Madam Ruby said. "Anyways, you guys need new cloths. I'll get you set up in the right kind of cloths."

* * *

_A few hours later_

* * *

Pepper felt ridiculous. Sure the dress was pretty, but it couldn't be any less comfortable. She could hardly breathe in it. It was suffocating. _'Adorable' _as Madam Ruby would put it. It was deadly, not adorable.

Pepper was fitted in a pink and black corset dress. There was some white fitted in the front and black lacing. A rather large set of roses or some kind of pretty flower, were set on the chest area. They were just itchy in Pepper's opinion, as pretty as the flowers were. Despite Madam Ruby's instance that she wear a choker or necklace, Pepper said no. Though Pepper couldn't deny the long gloves because Madam Ruby insisted that it was necessary since Pepper denied the necklace. Pepper reluctantly allowed the gloves. She was also given a hat, but Pepper just carried it around.

Rhodey and Howard were fitted in something a little less fancy, but nonetheless still fancy. Rhodey wore a lightly shaded plaid vest around a white long-sleeved dress shirt. Accompanied with brown pants. Howard was pretty similar except with darker colors…and a top hat and an over coat…and a staff. He tried telling Madam Ruby that the staff was a bit much, but she said he fitted the staff very well. Then she demanded that he stopped being picky.

"You guys are seriously in need of manners." Madam Ruby said. "Sadly, I'm not the one to go to for that. But hopefully you will run into her and Sir Sim Stanley's mansion."

"Mansion?" Rhodey and Pepper asked.

"Where would expect the mayor to live?" Madam Ruby questioned, a hand at her chest. "Certainly not a simple house, I hope."

"No, they're just not used to that type of living." Howard quickly said, hoping the woman wouldn't get angry.

The woman sighed. "I expected that to be so, but…alas, you guys will never survive alone out here. At least Sir Sim Stanley can help you."

Madam Ruby sighed as she walked over to Pepper, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. She shook her head in disappointment. "No no no, you don't do that. Here, let me show you."

Pepper stopped adjusting the corset and looked up at the blue eyed woman. Madam Ruby was rubbing her hands together as she approached Pepper. "Turn around young lady."

The tone in her voice was strict, making Pepper do so without question. Madam Ruby reached her arms around Pepper and slipped her fingers under the top of Pepper's corset and pulled up roughly. Pepper squawked in protest. Then Madam Ruby untied the knot that held the corset together, then slipped her shoes off.

"What are you doing?" Pepper asked afraid to look behind her.

"One moment." Madam Ruby replied.

Before Pepper could respond, Madam Ruby had a foot on Pepper's lower back and kicked forward as she pulled the strings tighter. Pepper yelped as the already suffocating tightness got tighter.

"Ow!"

"Oh suck it up." Madam Ruby said. "You're a woman aren't you?"

"Ow, yeah, but-Ow-I'm not used to this!" Pepper replied as Madam Ruby put her foot down and retied the laces.

Madam Ruby sighed. "Well, if you end up having to stay the night somewhere, tomorrow you're going to have to come back for a clean dress. Which reminds me, you have money right?"

Pepper stared. This was going to be expensive.

"Considering I gave you my nicest apparel, fit for royalty, which in fact, that dress was Lady Lucille's dress. Sir Sim Stanley's daughter." Madam Ruby said with a smile. "Sold it to me not too long ago. I usually don't by, I'm a tailor, but it was so nicely made! Well, what can you pay?"

Howard dealt with the payment of the clothes, and Pepper was relieved that Howard had taken a fair amount of cash along with him, saying not all hotels accepted credit cards. It would not be fun, not fitting in. Even though it would be more comfortable.

Madam Ruby gave them the directions to Sir Sim Stanley's mansion and wished them well travels. Pepper was not looking forward to the rest of their 'visit' at where ever this place was. As long as she was in that stupid corset…

* * *

_At the mansion door_

* * *

Rhodey and Pepper stood back behind Howard as he was about to 'knock'.

"I feel ridiculous." Rhodey said, tugging at his collar.

Pepper shot him a look, which closely resembled a glare. "Imagine how I feel."

He stopped talking.

Howard shushed them as he pulled what must have been the doorbell. They waited a few moments before they heard some shouting, then some footsteps. Pepper scratched, as best she could, at her waist.

The door opened to show a sullen faced girl. She had silver hair, dark brown, almost black eyes. She wore a long, corset-like maids dress. She held in her hands; a pan. So she must be the chef. She raised an eyebrow. "You must be looking for master."

She welcomed them in and led them to what must have been the sitting room. "I'll let Master know you're here." She looked over her shoulder and shouted. "Hey! Annie, come make sure out guests are happy!"

Another girl rushed in the room and didn't even look anywhere else, but at the girl who led them in. She nodded, her black hair bobbing. She walked – more like stumbled – to stand in front of the three who were seated on a velvet couch. She smiled, her cheeks red. She bowed slightly to them, almost as if she was apologizing.

She had black hair that was in long pig-tails. She had the brightest blue eyes. She was pretty tall, and she kept rubbing at some bandages that were wrapped around her neck and shoulder, which were exposed due to the dress she was wearing. It was fancier than the first girls dress, but not as fancy as Pepper's. It was blue and was definitely a type of corset. It wasn't quite as fluffed out as the one Pepper wore, but it definitely didn't look like it was supposed to be worn by a maid.

"Who are you?" Pepper asked, not really meaning to.

Rhodey elbowed her.

"I'm Annie, Master's personal assistant…" Annie said startled from the attention. Her voice soft, almost a whisper. "Do you need anything?"

"So, you're like a butler?" Pepper asked, again receiving a jab in the side.

Annie bit her lip. "I guess, but I don't like being called that."

"Sorry."

"Annie!" A voice snapped. "Are you making the guests uncomfortable?"

"Uh-um…no sir." Annie said bowing her head towards the doorway, where a man stood.

"Good, now go set the table."

Annie frowned, but nodded her head. She left the room through a second door without another word. Pepper turned her attention to the man standing at the doorway.

He wore a tuxedo that sort of resembled a pirate's tuxedo. That was best way Pepper could explain the outfit he wore. It was red and long, and had a white under dress shirt. And black pants. He had a staff of his own that had a emerald and gold designed orb on top.

Though, Pepper thought he looked surprisingly like the picture she saw of Simon Greyson.

"Welcome," The Simon look-a-like said with a smile. "To my esteemed mansion. It is kept and clean by only the best of maids and servants found."

A row of about 5 people dressed up in maid like outfits. One of them being the cook.

"My name," The lookalike said. "Is Sir Sim Stanley."

**So...uh what do you think? Still any good? I hope it didn't just get horrible...some stories can get like that. Interesting the first chapter, then the second...not so much...And yes i worry about that being this story...So thoughts?**

**So, This really has nothing to do with the story, but my mom won tickets to a Lumineer's concert and it's going to be my FIRST concert! I'm super excited, but when i told my friends they _literally _just smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up... -.- Saying: "Cool." And i'm just super excited so i had to say something. ;)**

**Fun Fact: _I'm pretty sure my friends say i walk like a duck sometimes... Okay that wasn't the fun fact, but serisously they do..._**

**The real Fun Fact: _I can relate to a lot of people when i say, when i get absorbed in something, i lose track of time... CoughfanficionCough...CoughwritingCough..._**

**Next chapter might not be out for a few days, for multiple reasons. One, so i don't catch up with my head start, and as many of you know, i'm still recovering from a horrible flu, and now i believe I've got some other cold...And on Friday I have the concert so...yeah. And school projects...**

**Well, REVIEW and tell me what you think! Please? Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, again, sooner than i expected, but I've found myself with nothing else to do...And yes i've noticed i have other stories to update. But I thought, just to keep you guys occupied while i figure out the next thing I'm going to work on. **

**Disclaimer: IMAA will never be mine, just to be clear.**

"_He's dead."_

_Dead. Gone. Dead. Forever. He was dead. _

"_Can we see him?" A new voice said. _

_Pause. "No, his whole body was burned in the fire."_

"_We're so sorry." _

"_Don't be…I-it couldn't be stopped."_

_He was dead. A hand on her shoulder. She looked over. Happy was there, a bandage still over his torso. She wasn't much better. She hand bandages on her arm and leg. They said she'd have permanent scars. _

"_Pep, I'm sorry." _

_Pep. Pep. Pep… Tony. W-was he still alive? Was that him? She looked over, tears in her eyes. "Tony?"_

_No. It was still Happy. She burst into tears. _

"_Pepper, what's wrong?" Roberta asked. _

"_You idiot." Pepper said, throwing a tear filled glare at Happy. "Don't call me that."_

"_Pepper?" Happy asked, confused. _

_He was dead. How could she think it was him? He was DEAD. _

_Dead._

* * *

"Miss?" A voice called out.

Pepper snapped her eyes open. "Tony?"

She looked around, only to find Annie. "Oh, Annie! What are you doing in here?"

Annie stood holding the curtains half open, half closed. Slightly, surprised. "Who's Tony?"

Pepper looked down and wipe the tears she must have shed in her sleep. "A friend of mine…"

"Is he kind to you?" Annie asked, finishing the task at hand.

"He's dead."

"Oh dear!" Annie's voice cracked, and Pepper raised her eyebrow.

"You alright there Annie?"

Annie went completely red. "Oh yeah, sorry! I've got a slight cold."

Pepper didn't reply, but she instead got out of her bed. She now wore a white night gown. One of the other servants helped her change out of the corset dress the previous night and into the night gown, despite Pepper's protest.

"Do you wish for me to help you into a new dress?" Annie asked. "Or do you wish for Ellen to help you?"

Pepper blushed. She wished the dresses weren't so hard to put on. Then she would do it herself. "I guess you can do it. Since you're here."

"Really?" Annie asked.

"Sure."

Annie helped her into a corset dress that, thankfully was a little less fancy than the previous dress. It looked much like Annie's dress that she still wore. Except it was pink, and was a bit fancier still. Annie smiled when she finished helping and didn't say a word as she led them out to the breakfast table, where she said the food was served and hot.

After Sir Sim Stanley introduced himself he introduced everyone else. The cook, Harriet, the gardener, the assistant cook, the cleaner, and the mechanic. He said there was a few more roaming around, but they were busy. After that, he didn't let Howard talk to him at all. Though he didn't cut Howard off at the spot he just demanded that Annie did something, or that she fix something or go fetch something. It was Annie this, Annie that. It was almost as if he didn't realized he was interrupting his most prized guests.

He led them to the dinner room, where Annie finished setting the last of the finished food. They ate there meals as Sim, as Pepper decided to call him, told them about his little town. It was a apparently hit by a rather large tornado many years back, and when he found the town, all he wanted to do was build it back up, so they were slowly rising to a well-built city. Pepper couldn't see how this was a well-build city, but oh well. His daughter, Lucille, joined them mid-dinner, earning her a scold from her dad.

Annie and some other helper stood by and refilled the drinks, which were tea or coffee. Once dinner was done, one of the servants gave her and the other two a tour of the mansion. Avoiding some parts of the mansion. Then they showed them where each of their rooms were. Luckily they were close together.

"Tony? As in Tony Stark?"

Pepper snapped out of her thoughts and looked to the speaker. At the table everyone, except for her was seated. Howard sat between Rhodey and Sim, who was at the end of the table again. Howard was looking at him expectantly.

Pepper took a seat in a chair across from Howard, next to Sim. The cook, Harriet, served her a plate of eggs and bacon, with some toast. Annie left the room and quickly returned with a tray of orange juice and served it to everyone at the table.

"You mean to tell me, Tony is alive?" Sim asked, a hand on his chest, in surprise.

Pepper hated the tone he said it in. He sounded like he was forcing the innocence on himself. Like he was faking it. If he was Simon, he had to be.

"We've been devastated since he 'died', but we have reasons to believe he's still alive." Howard said.

There was the sound of shattering glass and Sim instantly pulled his attention away from Howard. Annie stood her hand clutching at her chest as she coughed. She looked terrified at the spilt orange juice and broken glass in front of her feet.

"Annie! What is your problem today!?" Sim shouted. He marched over to Annie and grabbed her by her upper arms. "You trying to make me look like a fool? Huh? Do you want to embarrass me? In front of the guests!?"

The rest of the servants scampered around as they tried to clean up the mess. Harriet grabbed Annie's hand and led her out of the room and away from the fuming Sim. Sim was clenching and unclenching his hands as he tried to calm himself down.

"Please, excuse me." Sim said, with a taught smile.

He walked out of the room, telling the remaining servants to clean up the mess and make sure the guests were tended to.

* * *

_Later that afternoon_

* * *

"Poor Annie…" Pepper said to Rhodey as they walked to the library.

They hadn't seen Annie at all since the incident that morning. Pepper actually missed her. She wasn't like the other servants. Maybe it was because she didn't seem like she wanted to pry into their lives, like the others did. The others, when Sim wasn't in the room, asked them all sorts of questions. Or the one that helped Pepper change the previous night, who tried to get Pepper to share how she received the scars on her arm and leg.

Howard was off trying to find a time to talk to Sim alone, so they weren't interrupted and there was no audience, so Pepper and Rhodey thought they'd go hang out in the library.

"It's not our problem, Pepper." Rhodey replied, knowing Pepper wanted to help Annie.

"I know, but the way he treats her…" Pepper said.

"Is how people always treated their servants, so stop worrying."

There was laughing and giggling coming from the door to what was the library. Pepper raised her eyebrows and opened the door.

"Annie, Annie, Annie!" The young voices sang.

"Come play with us!" A squeaky voice shouted.

"SHH!"

Pepper and Rhodey walked further into the vast library. They stopped when they came to a corner that had children's books and small wooden toys. Around 6 little kids ran in circles around a woman with black hair, she was facing away, but it was easy to tell that it was Annie.

"Annie?" Pepper questioned.

The woman turned around, revealing her blue eyes. Only, she had a black eye and a blooming bruise on her cheek bone. Her eyes were red, as if she was crying, but her face showed no other sign of tears.

"Yes?" She whispered just loud enough for them to hear above the kids.

Before Pepper or Rhodey could say anything, a little girl was pulling on Annie's dress. "ANNIE! Play wif us!"

"YEAH!" The other kids cheered.

"Not right now, I'm not well." Annie repeated.

To prove her point, she started to cough as she had that morning. Though this time she ended up bent over as she coughed. Just as it turned to more of a gagging sound than a cough.

Pepper couldn't lay her finger on it, but Annie sounded off. Wrong. But no matter how hard Pepper tried to fit it together, she couldn't. Pepper didn't waste any more time trying, instead, she rushed over to hold Annie up into a standing position and patted her back.

Only Annie didn't seem to like that. She pushed Pepper away from her and looked away. Pepper stared at her shocked.

"I-I'm sorry." Annie said, her voice raspy and rough. "I just can't…"

She ran out of the room, the kids looking majorly disappointed that she left. Some even started to cry, but the instant they saw that one kid had found a 'new' toy, they seemed very interested in the toy. They circled around it and demanded that they be given a turn with it.

"What was that about?" Rhodey asked coming up next to Pepper.

She shrugged as a new servant walked in an infant in her arms. She hollered at the kids and they were quick to shut up. The kid playing with the toy, dropped the toy making some complain, but soon they all forgot about it when the new servant shouted story time.

Pepper found herself bored and decided she'd go take a nap or something. If she could find her room…

She wondered out of the library, telling Rhodey that she was going back to her room, he nodded and ventured off into the library, away from the kids. Pepper looked at the walls and doors as she passed them, trying to find something familiar. She saw family portraits of random people and animals. She found vases filled with what appeared to be rare flowers. She found statues of famous people like presidents and public figures.

Soon enough she found it to her room. Even though it was probably going to be dinner soon, she still laid down on the bed she was given to sleep in. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

**Lousy ending, I know...but hopefully the next chapter will have a better ending... ^/^ Even though I'm thinking about rewriting the next chapter... Make it a little longer. **

**I found out yesterday that i was going to be out of Town the whole weekend at my cousins, and we were going to go to a waterpark, but it was going to be only my brother and my cousin and some of his friends, so i would have been the only girl and they would have ran off without me... Luckily, my mom said i didn't have to go, so FREE WEEKEND! **

**I'm not lying when i say this, there is a rat/bat/bird or whatever inside my closet, maybe more. And whatever it is, it keeps scratching the wall at night and running into the wall. As well as squealing its head off. I think theres multiple and they're fighting... -.- I'm not scared, but it keeps me up a lot, it's frustrating. And the sucky thing is that that part of the closet, doesn't have a door to get in it, since it's more of open space than a closet, so we can't get in their to kill or capture whatever it is... it's been making the LOUDEST noises ever the past week...**

**Fun Fact: _I cannot for the life of me, understand how people can chew their ice cream or popsicles... :S It just gives me shivers just thinking about it...my teeth are really sensitive and i cannot bite down on ice or anything cold and solid..._**

**Well, I hope this chapter was satisfying enough for you. I want to hear your thoughts! So, review! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long! I decided to rewrite the next few chapters! I didn't like the weird turn I had took. Sorry... Anyways, I hope this chapter is satisfying enough! Since after all there was a longer wait than expected, but you'll live.**

**Disclaimer: IMAA is NOT mine, I sure hope it wasn't...**

_She was stuck. Again. It burned, it hurt. The pain was unbearable. _

"_PEPPER!"_

_Not again. Not this again. No. _

_Where was he!? "TONY!" _

"_PEPPER!" _

_Her head snapped upwards. He never responded before. _

"_AHHHHHH!"_

"_TONY!?" _

_She tried moving to get out from under the burning wood. "TONY!" She screamed in pain as another burning wood fell on her arm. _

"_PEPPER! I-I'M COMING!"_

_He was coming. Tony. He was finally going to save her. From the burning ashes. From all the pain and loss. He was coming. He was safe. She tried to smile as she felt the burning wood be lifted from her. _

"_Tony?"_

"_Pepper, you need to get to a hospital."_

_Some coughing. The place was so smoky she couldn't see him. Whether or not she could see him, he was there. He wasn't dead. She tried telling them. He was alive. _

"_Tony!"_

"_Pepper, stop calling me that." _

_Her eyes widened as she realized she'd been calling Rhodey Tony. "Rhodey?"_

"_Happy needs to see a doctor as well." _

_She was lifted off the ground and into his arms. Her arm and leg burned. Hurt. It hurt. She bit her tongue. The pain was unbearable. Her vision clouded. _

_Tony. He was dead. He wasn't alive. He wasn't coming. He was dead. Tony. _

"_Tony…" She mumbled to herself. _

_He said he'd come back. He promised. He said he would. He wouldn't lie. Would he?_

_He did. He lied. He died. He's dead, despite his promise. He was dead. _

_Flames bursted up and rubble fell. _

_Pepper screamed as Rhodey dropped her. He's not waking. His head was bleeding. His head was…bleeding. She couldn't carry him. They were dead. They would join Tony._

_They were dead._

* * *

"Miss," A voice whispered. "Miss, wake up!"

Pepper shot up in her bed, her form shaking. Another dream. It was just a dream. Or was it? It had to be. "Tony?"

"No…" Annie's voice said. "It's me, Annie…"

"Oh," Pepper said looking to her hands, which were still clenched tightly in her blankets. She could feel her hair sticking to her face and the sweat that was still on her forehead. She wiped at the sweat and closed her eyes, trying to rid her head of the memories. Of the bad dream.

"Do you wish for me to draw you a bath?" Annie questioned.

Pepper got up and nodded. "Is anyone going to be in there with me?"

Annie shook her head. "Not unless you want someone."

Annie left with not another word to the bathroom that was connected to the room Pepper stayed in. Pepper had to admit she probably stunk. It's been almost a week since her last shower, and not to mention all the incident at dinner the previous night when Sim lost his anger and spilled his tea all over her dress.

It's been about 5 days since they first arrived at the Mansion at which Sim lived in. Pepper already gained a routine for what she did every day. She'd wake up and eat breakfast with everyone else, then she'd go to the library and read and sometimes even play with the little kids who played there every morning, then she would eat lunch or if there was extra time she went to the recreation room with Rhodey to play cards or board games until it was lunch, then nap until dinner, than talk with Rhodey then do whatever to pass time until she passed out.

She almost always managed to get bored of one task and end up switching to something new. Lucille, Sim's daughter, managed to get out of her studies Sim made her do and came to hang out with the 'newbies'.

Though soon enough, she got bored of playing with the 'newbies'.

"Miss, it's ready!" Annie's voice said quickly.

Pepper looked up at Annie who was fidgeting with the bandages that were still wrapped around her neck. Pepper caught a glimpse of what looked like an ugly, meaning large, scar. Pepper stood up with narrowed eyes.

"What happened?" Pepper asked, eying the bandages.

Annie quickly pulled her hands away and looked to her feet. "I-I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Pepper questioned. "How could you not know? It happened recently, had it not?"

Oh great, now she was talking like them.

"I don't remember…" Annie said stepping away from Pepper "I wear the bandages…to cover the scar."

Pepper bit her lip as she raised her left arm. "See? I don't hide my scar. I got it in a large fire, it burned down my whole school….A-and killed…my best friend…"

"Tony?" Annie asked.

"Yeah…" Pepper murmured.

Pepper never spoke of the fire so openly. Especially to someone she hardly knew. Which must have meant something saying Annie was just a servant, but Pepper knew better than to think like that. Annie was more than just a servant, she was a human being who just happened to work as a servant.

Annie then reminded Pepper that her bath was getting cold, so she left to finally allow herself to get clean.

* * *

_Later that afternoon_

* * *

Lunch time was pretty uneventful. Pepper sat in silence as she thought of their situation and Rhodey sat picking at his food, apparently he lost his appetite from when one of the servants threw up, and Howard continued his quest of getting Sim to say something about Tony. To reveal something about Tony.

Pepper hadn't realized that it was going to take so long. She had hoped that when they first came that they could have just confronted the man and gotten the information they needed. Pepper wished that they at least known where Tony was and what happened to him. That would at least be satisfying. Whether or not he was dead, it was better to at least know what happened. It would clear her unclear mind.

The uneventful lunch, turned pretty eventful when Annie broke down into another coughing fit, which turned into hacking up blood, which eventually turned to Annie passing out cold on the floor. Howard stood up to rush to her aid, but Sim held out a hand and with a tired expression as if this was a normal occurrence, demanded that the other servants carry her to her room.

Pepper asked if she could go visit, but Sim directly told her that she would violating rules to visit Annie. Not that Pepper cared about the rules, Pepper listened. She didn't want to over abuse their visit.

Since the incident at lunch with Annie, they hadn't seen much of Annie. Sim originally assigned Annie to be of service to them as much as possible, but whenever they requested Annie to help them with something, namely getting around or finding a book, a girl by the name of Laura, came to their aid.

The one time they did see Annie was when she had gone to apologize to Sim at dinner time for not being able to help.

Pepper found herself staring at Annie. She didn't know why, but Annie was staring back for a minute, before she rushed off coughing in her elbow, clutching her chest. Pepper shrugged it off and went on with eating hoping Annie would feel better the next day.

About two days passed since that day, and Sim hadn't said anything really revealing about the whereabouts of Tony. He's mentioned Tony a few times, though. He said that he'd really have enjoyed it if he had a chance to meet the great genius, Tony Stark. He said he was ashamed to hear of the terrible event that took his life. He said that he'd been to one of his presentations, which Howard had set up for him many years ago.

Within those two days, Pepper and Rhodey tried asking around with the few servants they met up with if they'd seen Tony. Most of them the said they didn't even know who he was, and the others just questioned them about what Tony did. So they'd heard about him, but apparently only through Sim.

Annie still hadn't shown up from her last appearance to apologize. Pepper was starting to get uneasy about the mansion. She had really hoped that it would have gone by faster than this. She really didn't want to stay any longer. She was itching to get out of the mansion and get some open air, but when she tried, one of the servants said that she had to alert their 'master' of her leave.

So, Pepper decided it was best just to stay there. She hung out with Rhodey talking about how they were going to get Tony back. Rhodey didn't have any ideas to share, so she just hung out with him, reading.

Howard continued his attempts at getting a lead at where Tony was. Pepper knew he had to be somewhere. He had to be. He wasn't dead, he was alive. He was here. She just didn't know where. She had to find him.

"Pepper where are you going?" Rhodey asked.

Pepper waved behind her as if she was waving off a question she didn't want to answer. "I'm going to find Tony!"

She heard him shout something, but she had already left the room. She was too far gone. Even if he told her it was impossible, that she would never find him, she wouldn't stop. As she was running she passed a room with an open door. Inside was Annie, throwing up in a bucket.

Pepper paused, and backed up a bit. "Annie?"

Annie jumped, and wiped her mouth. She looked up at Pepper who was standing at the doorway. Pepper could see that she looked like she went through hell and back. She had bags under her eyes, a bloody nose, that looked like it was from a punch to the face, and her lips looked raw as if she chewed them until they bled.

Pepper saw Annie's terrified face stare at her. "Annie? Are you alright?"

_BAM!_

Pepper gasped as a blinding pain spread through the back of her head. She didn't even have time to catch herself before she hit the ground.

"Pep!" Was the last thing she heard.

**So...uh...how was it? Good? Bad? Want to shoot me? Hug me...? What? **

**So I have a few things to say. I have no more school for the summer! So, I _should _be updating more often, but i guess that also means I might not...who knows. It's summer. I'm not so sure about this weekend cause on Friday I'm babysitting all day then we're going out of town for a graduation party, and that's pretty much it. **

**I have a poll on my profile for Baby Phase on names, for the girl. So please, I kinda want to choose the name, but I need help deciding. **

**Fun Fact: _I have a weird habit of falling asleep on school buses when we have long rides...then I'll wake up and I'll be under the seat or something...My friend took tons of pictures... :P_**

**I have a surprise coming up, I don't know when or how soon, but it's something I hope all of you will like! Since after all it's been a while...XD Anyways, I'd like to get more done for Snow Storms or even Baby Genius. So, REVIEW? Tell me what you think!**

**Actually one more thing, Do you guys prefer long chapters or short chapters? Just asking cause opinions vary on that.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for that wait I put you through! A few of you said you wanted to shoot me! O.O So, since I really couldn't find it in me to update anything else, I assumed it was best to do this one...**

**Disclaimer:_ IMAA is not mine! It never will be either!_**

_It was different this time. The fire. It was brighter, hotter, and more hostile. It was looking for more victims to burn. It finished them off and was looking for more fuel. More deaths. More power. _

_It hurt. _

_It burned. _

_She cried as she struggled to move. He was heavy. They were heavy. It hurt. She wanted to collapse on the ground and cry. To give up. She coughed. _

_Why could she feel the pain? Why? Why, if it was only a dream? Why was it so painful? _

_The flames flared up in front of her. She screamed. _

_The flames hit her already damaged arm. It burned, it burned like hell. _

_She collapsed in a fit of coughs. The smoke was heavy. Suffocating. _

_Happy. Rhodey._

_Tony. _

_Were they dead? _

_She was too weak to check. Too weak to move. To breathe. _

_The air was smoky and dry. The ground shook and spun beneath her fingers. Her vision blurred. _

_This was it. This was finally it. The fire was claiming its prey. It won._

_._

_._

_._

"_They're here!" _

"_Call the medics!" _

"_Careful, he hit his head."_

"_I know."_

_Blurry images of firemen filled her vision. The smoke was still heavy and flames didn't even seem to have slowed. _

"_We're here." _

"_We saved you."_

_._

_._

_._

_But they didn't. They couldn't._

_Tony wasn't there._

* * *

Pepper snapped awake.

She panted as if she'd been holding her breath. She felt breathless. That'd been one of the first times she'd woken herself up from the dreams. It felt at least a bit relieving.

Wait.

Where was she?

She looked around, scanning the room she was in. Was this even a room?

She was surrounded by either walls so white, she couldn't see them, or was just surrounded in white. Endless white. Everywhere. That had to be it.

She moved to sit up, but found herself unable to. She pressed her lips into a tight line and tried to force herself to at least do something, but really all she found herself doing, was grunting and making herself even more breathless.

Where was she?

* * *

It's been about a day since Rhodey last saw Pepper. She'd ran off saying she was going to find Tony. Had that meant she knew where he was? Did she find Tony? He didn't think much of it at the time, since when he tried following her, he only ended up getting lost. So he'd returned to where he was comfortable.

Though he wasn't comfortable. The idea of staying any longer at the mansion, disturbed him. But the thought alone that Tony had to be in the mansion somewhere, kept him calm. He didn't complain about how weird it all seemed to be.

It was the afternoon lunch, and it was Annie's first day back from whatever it was that came over her. Sim said it was her longest break. Rhodey and Howard both took it that it was the longest she'd been sick for. Annie still looked as pale as ever and her fingers shook noticeably when she poured drinks. She looked as if she'd lost a lot of weight as well.

"Where's m-miss Potts?" Annie questioned them, visibly trying to hide from Sim's glare.

"Haven't seen her since she ran off yesterday." Rhodey said, picking at his food.

Annie looked down. "My – I'm sorry."

"Don't be, she ran off looking for something."

Sim gave him a 'worried' look. "Oh dear, and she has not returned?"

Rhodey shook his head, really wanting to punch that smug look off his face. He took a deep breath. "No, but I'm sure she just had a rough day."

Howard nodded to no one in particular, and excused himself from the table. Rhodey wished he could go with him, but the instant he tried following him, Harriet and another servant walked over to him and asked him a few questions that would be rude not to answer.

So, he finished his food, even though all he wanted to do was go look for Pepper.

* * *

The redhead tugged against the invisible chains that had to have her tied down. Sweat dripped from her forehead and her face twisted in fear. Her breath was ragged and her skin was hot. Burning. Was there a fire?

Her eyes snapped open.

"A dream…Just a dream…" She wheezed through her gritted teeth.

Despite her hot skin, she could tell that it was actually quite cold. When she finally evened her breath, she shivered. It took her a few moments to realize that she was naked. When did that happen? She instantly wanted to curl up in a ball in case someone was in there with her. Too bad she couldn't hardly move.

She would notice it if someone was in there with her, wouldn't she? After all, the room or area was all white, she would notice it if someone was in the room with her, right?

Her head hurt like crazy. And she was having trouble remembering how she'd even got there. The last thing she remembered was hanging out with Rhodey somewhere, then she ran off somewhere.

She kept falling asleep, because for some reason, she was just super tired even when she just woke up. Which made her wonder if it was because of something that happened to her head…

Wait.

What happened to her head?

She focused on the pulsating pain that was the back of her head. It didn't feel at all like a natural headache. Not at all. She forced herself to think deeper, even if it made her head hurt a whole lot more.

Then she remembered.

And she instantly wanted to get out of there. Where ever 'there' was. She needed to find him. She had to find Tony. She heard him. She did. It wasn't a part of her imagination. It wasn't her mind just telling her what she wanted to here. She heard Tony.

Tony was there.

* * *

Howard wondered the halls of the mansion. He went up many sets of stairs and checked through many, many doors. He looked for secret doorways, and anything that seemed out of place. He was determined to find something. He had to.

It took him for what seemed like ever to even realize that his search was coming to a dead end. He'd searched what he was sure was every door in the mansion that wasn't locked. Each one leading to an empty room. Only occasionally occupied by a servant.

It was later, when Howard gave up his search (for the time being) that he went and joined Rhodey in the library.

"I don't understand where she went!" Rhodey said, frustrated.

"You said she was with you yesterday?" Howard asked. "Do you remember what she was saying?"

Rhodey shook his head, remembering the evening perfectly. "No, Pepper was really silent and all of a sudden she ran out that door," he pointed to a door on the other side of the library. "Yelling something about finding Tony."

He muttered the last part quietly as one of the servants passed by.

When Howard remained silent in thought, Rhodey stood up. "Should we try looking in that direction?"

Howard sighed, "Might as well."

He most likely already searched the area, but with a new set of eyes, he might find something new. So he led the way out the previously mentioned door.

They searched the halls, trying to avoid being spotted as much as possible. Only to come to the same conclusion as Howard had earlier. They were just about to go to the dining room when they were informed that dinner was done, but they heard a crashing sound coming from the top of the stairs.

They weren't the only ones that seemed worried. Several of the servants went scattering towards the stairs as well as themselves.

At the top of the stairs stood Sim, who looked as pissed as ever. He didn't even seem to notice the crowd he attracted. At his feet lay a broken vase, the glass scattered everywhere. In his hands, was a bloodied shard.

Their gazes fell on the form that kneeled next to the wall. Blood oozed through her fingers as she clutched at her face, hiding the harm done.

Annie.

The servants looked horrified at what they saw. Even Rhodey and Howard had been shocked into silence.

Sim panted heavily in his anger. He didn't even look to the others as he snapped, "What are you looking at!?" As he proceeded to kick Annie in the ribs.

"Stop it!" Rhodey cried out, moving to stop the crazy man. But a hand on his shoulder, stopped him. He looked over to find one of the older servants, a woman with greying brown hair, shaking her head. He could see her hand shaking.

"Don't" She whispered. "You'll only make it worse."

Sim spun around to face his crowd. "What!?" He shouted. "You like the show!?"

He smirked and forced Annie into a standing position. He raised the sharp glass shard over where Annie's heart would be.

"Should I cut her heart out?" He laughed. "What about her hands, should they come off?"

As he said that, he yanked her bloodied hands away from her face, revealing a large cut that went from the bridge of her nose, down to her jaw, barely missing her eye. Sim had the sharp shard of glass over her wrists.

"What do want?" Sim asked, "Maybe I should dissect the pretty, _lady."_

Rhodey wanted nothing more than to go punch the man, but he was armed with sharp glass. He'd have to have a more thought out plan. He could see Howard itching to do something to help as well.

Sim laughed. And held one of Annie's hand in one of his own. He fiddled around with each and every one of Annie's fingers. Before he quickly bent two of her fingers backwards.

Annie screamed.

Howard's blood ran cold.

Not because of the pain Annie must have gone through. Not because of the severity of the scream. Not even because this man – no this _thing _– had the audacity to do such a thing. No.

But because he knew _her _voice.

And it wasn't even female.

It was Tony.

**Please don't hate me! I had to! Now I'm sure you guys are going to kill me! DX**

**So, besides that was it any good?**

**So, I would have had a few other things to post, but I was gone all of last week, I had to babysit for the whole day and almost the entire day on another day, plus it was my friends birthday yesterday. So I've been a bit busier than usual. **

**Fun Fact: _I hate winter, but the summer heat always gives me stomachaches when the winter chill keeps my stomachaches at bay..._**

**So first of all, I had this crazy idea, that we authors make a sort of 'joint' story. Like come up with a story line together then one author make a chapter, and the next author continues it...I dunno, stupid idea...It was just going through my head the whole weekend when i couldn't use my computer. **

**Oh and I made a DeviantART profile under the same name and I put up some pictures I drew...Just to put it out there... I had too, sorry :)**

**I need more people to vote on my poll on my profile, please? And thankyou? **

**Well, REVIEW and I hope you like it! I will most likely work on this again soon, but I'd like to work on Snow Storms or something.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, guys the next chapter is up! :D Sorry for the wait, I did a bit of rewriting, it was horrible and I'm not sure how much better it is...Well if anyone's a better judge than me, it's you guys!**

**Disclaimer: IMAA in NOT mine...Jeez I hate the disclaimer so much, but oh well, that's life for you.**

"Stop!" Howard shouted. "Stop it!"

Howard stepped forward ready to defend 'Annie' from Sim. The screams stopped. Part of him wanted to hear them again, it meant hearing his son's voice again. But if it meant letting someone get hurt just to hear his voice, he would rather never hear the voice again.

Sim kicked 'Annie' hard in the side. "Look what you've done! _*Kick* _You've brought too much attention to yourself."

Annie fell to the ground and 'she' clutched at her side with the hand that didn't bear broken fingers. Sim towered over her and laughed. He bent over and pulled her back into a standing position as 'Annie' tried to pull away. Before Annie could make any progress, Sim already had his Hands around the bandages around her throat area. He tore them away until they were shreds on the floor.

Howard and Rhodey caught a glimpse of a scar, before 'Annie' was shoved harshly against the railing that hung over the first floor. Rhodey stepped forward, worried she would fall, but a hand pulled him back again.

Sim didn't say anything as he proceeded to rip the laces of the dress 'Annie' was wearing. Howard and Rhodey could hear Annie protesting in _Tony's_ voice. But, Sim didn't listen to a word that was said. He just pulled the dress down so it hung off of 'Annie's' hips.

"Want to see?" Sim asked spinning 'Annie' around.

Revealing that Annie was not a girl, but a boy. And it was definitely confirmed when Sim pulled at 'Annie's' hair. It was a wig. It revealed short, raven colored hair. And there stood in front of them, Tony Stark.

…

Pepper's eyes once again snapped open. Her breath was labored and her chest was heavy. Her mind felt fuzzy and her sight was blurred. She felt as if she weighed a ton. That or she felt as if her whole body was compressed under a semi.

It wasn't so cold anymore and she realized she had a gown on now. She blinked, in attempt to clear her blurry sight. The room had become an awful lot darker, but it was still bright enough so she could see around herself. Not that there was anything to look at. As far as she cared, she was in the middle of nowhere.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened before she ended up in this place in the first place. But found herself unable to even remember any of it really.

She sighed as soon as the only thing she was really remembering was the fire. Of course, it was just her mind playing flashbacks of the dream she just had. Her mind was so caught up in the nightmare, she was having issues with what was real and what was real.

She looked down at herself again, worried that she might find that she had gotten hurt and somehow, missed it. Maybe that's why she was having so much issues. Maybe she just lost so much blood, that she was becoming delirious. So delirious to think that she was floating in a white room, unable to move. And that her outfit seemed to change every time she woke up. Varying from being naked to being in dresses and even once she was in a tuxedo. It could also be causing the constant black outs she was having.

But when she looked down, she found herself wound free. At least from what she could tell. Or remember.

What on earth was going on?

…

"Tony?" Howard breathed out. "Oh god…son…Y-you're…?"

Sim laughed. "Surprised huh?"

Howard hardly heard the man, he was too busy trying to control his erratic heartbeat and labored breath. He placed a hand on Rhodey's shoulder to steady himself, but found that the teen was shaking, himself.

"I wouldn't blame you." Sim laughed. "He plays one hell of a woman doesn't he?"

Howard threw the man the best glare he could through his shocked face. He was feeling a bit lightheaded. That was his son. His son was alive. Tony was alive.

"I mean, at first I thought it wasn't going to work!" Sim continued. "I thought there was no way that anyone in their right minds, would believe that Stark was a girl. But I found after a few months of training and practice, I could make it work."

Howard clenched his hands into fists.

Sim paced in front of Tony, who was kneeling on the ground, clutching at his bleeding face. He had a bright smile on his face as if he just won an award.

"It's amazing how well it worked out." Sim said, as if giving himself a pat on the back. "Except for the issue's we've encountered with his heart, I'd say, everything turned out perfect! At least until, that worthless redhead had to go peeking her nose where it didn't belong." Sim practically growled at that last part.

Rhodey opened his mouth, ready to say something, because he could see Howard was nowhere near being ready to talk, but before he could say anything, he noticed Tony's head snap up at the mention of Pepper.

"What did you do to her!?" He spoke, his voice shaky.

"Oh nothing, I did what had to be done." Sim said, smiling 'sweetly'.

Rhodey noticed the level of fear in Tony's face. "You didn't."

"I didn't kill her if that's what you mean." Sim replied jokily.

Howard and Rhodey watched as Tony clutched at his chest as his fingers shook. His whole body seemed to shake and he looked like he was having trouble breathing. His eyes closed as he shot his arm out to grab the railing, holding on so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

"Tony…?" Rhodey breathed as he stepped forward. But stopped when Sim bent down next to Tony.

"It's happening again isn't it?" Sim asked, his voice almost purring. "Do you need some sleep?"

Tony looked up, looking like he was trying to catch his breath. "Leave me alone." His voice rigid.

"Tony," Sim said, patting Tony on the back.

Howard stepped forward again, ready to fight anyone who decided to stop him, but found himself frozen before he could get any closer. He couldn't seem to make himself go any closer for some reason. It just felt…off.

"Tony, you know I did what I did, to protect you right?" Sim said, sounding like he actually 'cared'.

Tony pushed Sim away with a bloody hand. "Where is she?"

Sim laughed, shaking his head. "I don't see why you care so much about her! I mean you hardly even know her!"

Rhodey blinked, confused. Tony's known Pepper for at least a year before he went missing. That should count for something right? Unless…Rhodey paled. Had he lost his memory?

"I remember her!" Tony shouted, glaring at the man before him. "Of all the things I don't remember, I remember _her!_"

The smiled on Sim's face faded and disappeared. "Listen to me now, drop the subject now, and I'll be sure no one else has to get involved."

Howard looked around to see if he was the only one, other than Rhodey, that wanted to do something. The old woman who'd held them back, looked worried, but distressed. A few of the other servants that gathered around, looked concerned or scared. And at least one of them looked like they would run.

He couldn't stand just standing there, letting his son be hurt like he was. He was his father, it was his duty to keep his son safe, and what was he doing? He felt horrible and useless. He had to think fast. It wasn't safe to just barge into a fight, but he's was emotionally unstable right now. He wasn't paying attention to the risk.

"Tell me where she is!" Tony's voice shouted, bringing him out his thoughts. He focused in on his son. Who then, broke into a fit of coughs. He looked so distraught, he looked like he might have a panic attack.

Which maybe he was considering how breathless he seemed to be, and how scared he looked.

Sim smiled wickedly. "So, what if she was where you think she is?"

Tony paled. He was visible shaking and sweating. "Let her go!"

"And what if I say no?" Sim questioned, twisting the shard Howard noticed he still had, in his hands.

"I'll go find her myself." Tony stated, his voice shaking.

It happened so fast, no one had time to do anything about it. It was too late, by the time they realized what had happened. The shard was already embedded into Tony's side.

Howard didn't hold himself back, he launched himself at Sim.

**Jeez, I had most of this planned since the beginning and yet I still seem to have surprised myself. I just hoped you guys like it! :) I worked so hard on this! ****  
**

**Fun Fact:_ I hate drinking. I don't know why, but I hate drinking, especially water. _ _I'll drink it for the sake of staying at least a bit hydrated, but to be honest, I've been to the hospital once or twice from dehydration...So guys, DON'T do what I do, DRINK YOUR WATER!_**

**Today, I got up to walk down stairs, but got really lightheaded and pretty much fainted on the stairs... O.O I'm just seriously lucky that the stairs were CARPET and that I fell BACKWARDS instead of FORWARDS... My mom said it was because I wasn't drinking enough water (Hence the Fun Fact), and that my room was almost 80 degrees hot. Yeah, I'm really not setting the best example for my little brother...**

**Well, my health aside, hope it was good! I'm off to work on some more stories! And don't worry, I've been forcing myself to drink tons of water, because yes, I've become at least a little bit concerned for my health. **

**Bye! :D**

**P.S. _Have any of you guys played the new Tomb Raider game? It is AWESOME! I've been playing that, and it's really fun!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**What do you know, I've updated! YAY! :D I'm actually glad I did! Now, I feel like I'm not falling behind too much! :D And sorry for the short chapter, but hopefully the next chapter will be up soon! **

**Disclaimer: IMAA is...well, I was about to say it, but...well you know...**

Pepper blinked her heavy eyelids. She could hardly stay awake now. She had to fight to even keep her eyes half open. Her head hurt. And saying it hurt as if it was hit with bricks, wasn't exaggerating. It _hurt. _So much so, that she could hear her heartbeat in her head. As if her heart was pounding inside her head instead of her chest.

Which reminded her. She was now in a t-shirt with some shorts. Normal enough.

She was starting to wonder if anyone was going to visit her. At least to tell her why she was there, but that's where it ended. She couldn't much think of anything else. If she tried, her mind practically forced her to think of something else. With that going on, she lost track of time. It felt as if it could have been days she was in there. Weeks even. But how would she know. The lighting never changed, there was no clock or window, and no one came to tell her what day it was.

Which, honestly at the time being her head hurt too much to care really. She couldn't think straight for the most part and even so, she didn't want to. She just wanted to rest. That's all.

But something told her not too. She felt that sleeping, or letting herself pass out, would be bad. So she fought it with all her might. With all that she was.

But in the end, she failed.

…

Howard didn't think as he tackled Sim to the ground. He wasn't seeing straight. Hell, he wasn't even seeing at all. Let alone thinking. He just lunched. His mind didn't pay no attention to the possibility Sim was still holding that shard. He didn't pay attention to the fact that he son was screaming in pain. That was what kept him going.

No one. NO ONE, hurt his son. No one will hurt his son and act as if it was a joke.

Everything was a blur. Every punch, every kick, or every tackle that might have been thrown, was a fast blur of red. The seething color of red. Everything was red.

That was his son, who'd been declared dead. Who's been 'dead' for 2 years. That was his _son. _His son who he loved more than anything. More than life itself. He wasn't just about to let his death become real just after he found him. He wasn't about to let this person – thing – hurt his son anymore.

He didn't know who was winning, or who was losing. He didn't care as long as Tony was safe. As long as this – thing – wasn't hurting his son.

…

The screams stopped, in favor of Tony passing out. His rigid body going limp. Blood was starting to pool by his side, and around his face.

Rhodey didn't hesitate to rush to his side. A few servants surrounding the two, in worry. He mumbled something's to himself, but didn't let himself get distracted. He could worry about the shock of his 'brother' still being alive later. Right now, he had to stop the bleeding. That was the first priority.

He put his gloved hands tightly onto the profusely bleeding wound, hoping to at least slow the blood loss down. But hopefully stopping it completely. The unconscious Tony, flinched under his rough touch, but he didn't loosen his grip. In fact, it tightened. The bleeding hardly slowed down.

He was starting to panic. He hadn't thought that maybe using his shirt would help slow the bleeding down faster. But what if he removed his hands for just that long and something happened? What if he bled out before he even got his shirt off? After all he was wearing one of those stupid tuxedo coats over his shirt, which was a button up. He'd never do it fast enough.

What about the large cut on his face? And the broken fingers? And the BLOOD LOSS? Rhodey's breathing picked up to a fast paced, panicked one. He'd only just got his 'brother' and best friend back, and now he was about to lose him. Just because he couldn't stop the bleeding.

"I'm so sorry, Tony…" He said, just barely holding back tears. "I-I couldn't help you."

There was a light touch on his shoulder. He didn't look away from his pale and bloody friend. He wouldn't until the last second. He wasn't missing this last moment with his best friend. If he was going to dye, Rhodey was going to be right there when it happened. He would both watch and feel his 'brothers' last breath.

There the touch was again.

He ignored it, to focus how much pressure he put on the wound. But the touch got harder, so he mumbled something just loud enough to be heard, "I'm not leaving him!"

But apparently he wasn't heard, for the touch became a light push. He looked away from his friend. "I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" He shouted, sounding almost desperate. Then he mumbled under his breath to himself, "Not yet."

…

Pepper's eyes snapped open roughly, her dreams consisting of fire and even more fire. At first she'd question why she was having nightmares about a fire, but after a while, she'd remembered exactly why. It brung tears to her eyes whenever she remembered.

That stupid fire!

It took her friend! No, it took the one person she couldn't live fully without. But then her mind would tell her that it wasn't the fire. No, even thought she was positive the fire happened, the fire had nothing to do with Tony's 'death'. She realized that the real thing that took him away from her, was right next to her. Technically speaking of course. The answer was right there!

Sim.

He did this.

He was going to pay!

She yelped when she felt pain in her head as if someone just struck her. She winced even more when there was a sharp pain in her arm, where he arm bent. What was happening? Why was she hurting? She couldn't see any damage done to her skin. Not even a red mark.

Was someone finally coming to tell her why she was there? Was she finally going to find out where she even was?

There was a second sharp pain that felt like needles, in her side, where her ribs were. She winced, and held back a whimper. What was happening?

…

Howard winced as he started to come to his senses. He'd just been punched. Ouch. It was a pretty rough punch too. He didn't care, he hardly flinched. He just sent a punch of his own. A punch filled with rage and agony for his son. He would continue to fight, so he could see he son!

He caught glimpses of his son being tended to by Rhodey. Good. Well, it seemed good until he heard the fragment of what Rhodey was saying. "_I'm so sorry…" _then "_Couldn't". _ What had that meant? Did that mean he couldn't save him? Had the full sentence been "_I'm so sorry I couldn't save you?" _

T-that couldn't be! His son wasn't dead! He wasn't! He refused to believe that even after all that he fought for, his son didn't even make it!

"STOP!" A voice shouted.

Howard was thrown to the ground, his head hitting against the railing. The last thing he saw was the bottoms of the dress the female servant's commonly wore, standing between him and Sim.

**Okay, I'm pretty sure not many of you will be happy with me, but I don't know. I JUST LOVE CLIFFHANGERS! Well, at least leaving them, i don't much like reading them, but oh well!**

**Fun Fact: _When I fall in love with a show/song I'll never get over it for a LONG TIME! I mean it! I still love this one show that I've loved since i was about 8 or 9 years old. And I still LOVE IT! _**

**So a few of you noticed my poll, and I'm telling you, for those of you that hasn't voted yet, you'd want to very soon, because I don't want this Poll to go on that long! It's for what I should work on next!**

**Oh and I haven't really said this much lately, but I do have a pepperony contest going on still, so just write a pepperony story and I'll check it out! Just mentioning, it, but I'll leave you guys alone about it, I don't want to seem obsessive.**

**Well, I'm going to go, so :D bye! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, since I've got this story mostly planned out, might as well bring myself closer to finishing this! This chapter is short, but oh well, its an update. :)**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, and if I have to say that, it should be Obvisous**

Rhodey watched in horror as Tony stood protectively in front of his father. His arms spread out widely, as if to hide his dad from Sim. Sim had his arm raised, shard in his hand, ready to strike. But he didn't move. He started at Tony, who was glaring at him.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Sim asked, low anger building up. "Stay out of this!"

"No, I won't!" Tony replied, coughing.

Rhodey wanted to grab Tony and pull him out of there, away from Sim, but found himself unable to move. He couldn't bring himself to do anything, in fear that doing so would hurt Tony. Would cause Sim to hurt Tony.

Tony was panting heavily, pain evident in his face, but he stood his ground. He was gripping his side now, to stop the blood that was leaking through the bandages.

* * *

_5 minutes earlier_

* * *

"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" Rhodey shouted, sounding almost desperate. Then he mumbled under his breath to himself, "Not yet."

"You don't have to." A soft voice said, sounding motherly. It was the older servant. "I want to help."

With that said, she thrust her hand out, giving Rhodey bandages and antibacterial medicine. Rhodey's eyes widened. She was helping him. He practically snatched the bandages and medicine out her grasp as he desperately moved to clean Tony's wound in his side.

Once he finished cleaning it, he wrapped Tony's waist up with bandages as best he could with the help of the woman.

"What about his face?" Rhodey asked, his voice low, and worried still. There still was a chance that help came too late.

"I'll do it."

Tony groaned and started to move a bit, but stayed unconscious. The older servant, got to work on cleaning his wounds, but only got halfway done, before he shot up into a sitting position. He winced in pain and held his side.

"Lay back down, you'll hurt yourself." The servant said, urging him back down, but he didn't budge.

He looked over to where, Howard was fighting with Sim. Sim was holding Howard by his throat, shard poised to strike. Tony blinked for a moment and Rhodey wondered if he should rush to help Howard, or stay to make sure Tony doesn't do something stupid.

He didn't get to make the choice, Tony already forced himself up, against both Rhodey's and the woman's urges that he lay back down.

Rhodey could only watch as Tony shouted, "STOP!"

* * *

_Present Time_

* * *

Sim laughed at Tony's courage. But his eyes never shifted from anything less than furious. His stared never glanced anywhere other than at Tony. Not even to check if anyone was going to try any stop him. Or them.

"Look at you," Sim laughed, "You're hardly even standing on your own!"

Tony didn't reply. Whether it was because he couldn't or because he didn't want to, was unknown. But he did manage to send a pretty serious glare at the man before him. Even though one of his eyes was covered partially to cover the wound on his face.

"You think you can take me on!?" Sim moved as if to strike, but stopped the instant the shard would have cut into Tony's chest. "You didn't even flinch." He observed as he stepped away.

Sim looked down at his hands, which was bloody, from holding the shard too tightly. "How could you? How could you betray me like this?" His voice low, but evidently furious. "I saved you. And this is what you do?"

Rhodey wished he could do something more. Something more than just watch as his friend or his brother be killed. He wanted to look away. He wanted to leave, so he didn't have to watch. But that would mean abandoning his best friend. He couldn't do that. He couldn't. He had to think.

He had to find a way to save both Howard and Tony. Without killing himself in the process.

"I saved you!" Sim shouted, turning back to face Tony, pointing an accusing finger. "I could have let you die! I would have to! But I _saved_ you instead!

"How stupid of me!" Sim laughed, "To have thought that you wouldn't turn against me!"

Sim was slowly approaching Tony, but Tony stood his ground in front of his father. Sim sidestepped Tony, to go around him, but the instant he did that Tony moved in front of him. Face to face now.

Sim's face was almost red in anger. "Tony, step away."

"No."

"I'm not asking you again." Sim said, his tone dangerously low, but hearable. "Step. Away."

Tony stood his ground. "No."

Sim took a deep breath and moved a bit faster than before to step around Tony, but the instant he even made a move, Tony shoved Sim away. "Leave. Him. Alone."

Sim started at Tony in shock. "D-did you just push me!?"

Tony glared at the man, but was panting heavily as he tightly gripped his side, which was bleeding some more. Which wasn't good. And Sim was noticing.

"Not feeling so well are we?" Sim asked, stepping dangerously close.

Tony was forced to take a step back, his heel bumping into Howard's side. He looked back at his father, but didn't waste time as he looked back at Sim. "S-stay…back!"

Sim raised his hand, quickly and gripped it around Tony's throat. Squeezing. Lifting. Tony's face was turning red from the pressure.

Sim was now practically stepping on Howard as he lifted Tony up so he was leaning over the railing backwards. Tony put an arm on the railing to try and pushing himself away from the railing, but his hand was slippery with blood.

Tony's vision was starting to go black. He could hardly see anything and he was starting to get light headed. He was about to kick his struggling leg out as best he could, just to see what would happen, but he never got the chance.

He was already falling.

**Me and my stupid cliffhangers. D: Mwhahahahahaa! I hope it will make you think, cause that's what I was going for! And I was going to make it longer and add Pepper, but I couldn't find where I could put her...oh well. next chapter will surely have her!****  
**

**Fun Fact: _Apparently I looked almost exactly like my mom, so a lot of people see me, and go "oh I thought you were your mom." And I have no problem with that, except everyone says that and I'm a bit shorter than her and I have almost blond hair and hers is RED and CURLY, and my hair is a LOT shorter than hers and straighter, so it makes me mad that they think I'm her. _**

**I'm closing my poll now, so yippee! No more pestering you guys about it! Oh and remember that I have my Pepperony Contest still! I'm waiting for some entries! :D **

**I'm going to go, cause I'm a busy girl right now, :D REVIEW! It will inspire me to update sooner!**

* * *

**REPLIES!**

**Guest: No need to dangle anymore! I've updated! But now I've left you to dangle again ^^"**

**PercyJacksonLover14: Yep! I'm EVIL! MWHAHAHAHA! Well hopefully I've put your mind at ease until the next chapter!**

**Lili: I know right! :D Heheh!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm amazed that I got this done! At least this soon! I wasn't expecting this until at LEAST Thursday, but this is what happens when I push myself! :D AMAZING! I'm so proud of myself!**

**Disclaimer: Might as well. IMAA is not mine.**

* * *

_RECAP!_

* * *

_Tony's vision was starting to go black. He could hardly see anything and he was starting to get light headed. He was about to kick his struggling leg out as best he could, just to see what would happen, but he never got the chance._

_He was already falling._

* * *

He reached out to grab at the nonexistent hand. The hand that would have saved him, had it been there, but there was no hand. He was reaching for what was not there.

He closed his eyes, ready to accept that no one was going to save him, when a searing pain shot through his side. He screamed. He screamed until his voice just about gave out, by then, he opened his eyes to find that he wasn't falling anymore. An arm was reaching through the railings and was clinging tightly to his leg.

The force of being pulled into an immediate stop, stretched out his wound that just barely stopped bleeding…until now.

He couldn't tell what had happened, but the air that was tense only moments ago, with his own death imminent, was suddenly cut loose and he actually felt…safe…considering the position he was in. Look past that, and he felt that there was no immediate threat.

He couldn't much think past that, when his consciousness decided to fade out. Leaving him, to a semi-peaceful 'sleep'.

* * *

_Rhodey couldn't sit by and watch anymore. He was going to do something. He didn't care if the other servants said it would only make things worse, that was his friend and friends help each other. They were practically brothers, so why not? _

_He scanned the area for something to use, something that could work. He was mainly looking for something big and sturdy, but if it comes to using one of the glass shards laying around, he wouldn't exactly hesitate. _

_Before he was able to even find anything, Sim had his hand around Tony's neck. Rhodey was starting to panic, and rush to extremes. The woman who helped him patch up Tony, held him back when he went to push Sim off Tony. Rhodey struggled in her grip, demanding to be let go. _

_Before she did, Rhodey noticed a shift in Howard's position. He stopped his struggling and shouting. He watched carefully as Howard reached out and shoved himself into a push up position. Rhodey tried to move, whispering to the woman that he had to help him. If not Tony, then Howard, but she just shook her head. He was really starting to not like her. _

_Though, only moments later, when Rhodey saw Sim about to drop Tony over the one story drop, which on normal circumstances wouldn't normally kill someone, but in the condition Tony was in…, Rhodey was willing to get physical and do something to get the woman from holding him back. But Howard beat him to it. _

_Howard, when Rhodey was paying attention to him, had pulled one of the wooden railing sticks __**(I don't know what to call them…)**, that was broken from his own fight with Sim, and stood up. He managed to go unnoticed behind the man._

_Without a second thought, Howard bashed Sim in the back of his head, knocking him out cold. Causing Tony to drop in the process._

_"Tony!"_

_Howard dove for his son, reaching between the broken railings, and gabbed at Tony, just barely grabbing his leg. Tony's screams filled the area._

* * *

"He's awake!" Rhodey cheered as he peered down at his buddy.

"Son?" Howard said entering the room.

Tony, who just opened his eyes, blinked. He couldn't see anything out of one of his eyes. He shot up, and felt around his face, only to wince in pain. He held his side, and laid back down. Almost half his face was bandaged up.

"Yeah, you're pretty beat up…" Rhodey said, forcing the venom out of his voice. "But we fixed you up."

Tony just stared, unsure what to say.

Howard sat down on a nearby chair after he pulled it up to the bed Tony was placed in. He stared down at his son curiously and worriedly. He couldn't stop thinking about what was said earlier. Had Tony really forgotten who they were?

"It's just a patch up job," Rhodey continued. "So don't go messing it up, you could open your wound."

Tony just continued to stare at the ceiling, still unsure what to. He was so used to the normal routine, that this different one was all a shock to him. He was unsure how to react to anything. So he kept quiet.

"So-Tony," Howard sighed. "Do you…do you remember me?"

Rhodey shot Howard a sad look, and felt his own pain, of the possibility that Tony might have lost his memory.

"W-where's…Sim." Tony said, moving his head to search, almost expecting to find Sim there.

Howard winced at how Raspy Tony's voice was. "He's been taken care of."

Tony's one visible eye widened. But he didn't dare say anything.

"He's not dead." Howard said, reaching to hold Tony's hand, but Tony pulled his hand away. Howard tried to hide his hurt. "He's just knocked out, and tied up."

Howard felt Tony's gaze on him, and he wanted to say something to him. Anything, but he couldn't find the words. No anymore. There was so much he wanted to say, but nothing came out.

"You said you remembered Pepper." Rhodey commented, taking a seat at the end of Tony's bed. "Well not directly."

Tony shot up once again, ignoring the pain. "Pepper?"

Rhodey couldn't help but feel a bit jealous that Pepper was the only one he remembered. She didn't know him nearly as long as he had and he still remembered her more than he even remembered him. At least that he was aware of.

"Is she the only one you remember?" Rhodey couldn't help but ask.

Tony didn't answer. At least not before he started to breathe heavily and start coughing. Rhodey forgot every feeling of jealousy to aid his friend, who was starting to look like he was having a panic attack again.

"Tony?" "Son?" Tony laid back down on the bed, trying to control his breath. He held an arm up, silently telling them that he was okay.

He sat up again, his breathing calmer. "I'm okay."

Every time Howard heard his voice now, he wished he hadn't. It was raspy and it sounded like it hurt. And that hurt Howard. But he wanted to hear his son's voice, more than anything. It's been so long since he last heard his son's voice, even a raspy and weak voice was something he tried to hold onto. As if it wouldn't last long.

"Tony," Rhodey said, standing up. "Is Pepper the only one you remember?"

Tony kept his gaze away from Rhodey before he replied. "Not really," Tony paused, preparing his answer. "She was the first. She kept saying my name when she slept…" Tony coughed. "She'd wake up shouting it,"

Howard looked down, Pepper did have it pretty bad when Tony 'died'. Even before she realized that there was a chance he was still alive.

"I-it was only a few nights ago…When she mentioned this," Tony coughed again, and gestured to the scar that was spread around his neck and back. "She showed me hers and said it was from a fire.

"It…it started coming back to me not long later," Tony coughed and paused for a minute. "Not a lot, but a little-!"

Tony stopped mid-sentence, his visible eye widening. He looked at Rhodey and his dad, and back down at his hands. It was then that he realized that he was no longer where the dress anymore, he still was shirtless, but now he had some pants on. He didn't care. That didn't matter.

He went to stand up, but Rhodey and Howard tried to lower him back down on the bed, without hurting him. Tony struggled, ignoring the throbbing pain as he fought against them.

"Let me go!" He said loudly, ready to shout.

"No, you'll hurt yourself!" Howard said, in his commanding father tone. "Lay back down and talk to us."

Tony continued to struggle. "Let me go! It might already be too late!"

"Too late?" Rhodey questioned, letting his guard down just enough for Tony to stand up.

Tony didn't reply, he just rushed out the unguarded door.

**I hope it was good. I'm really worried about this story, but who knows, it's one of my good stories, so I'm sure you guys will love it anyways. _Hopefully..._**

**Oh, and this story is also (baby genius) coming near to its end. Not as close as the other one, but still. I'm still close!**

**Fun Fact: _I'm not big in shopping for clothes (mainly because I don't have the money) but I still managed to have too many clothes to fit in my dresser...That is WAY too small to be considered a dresser in the first place._****_ .  
_**

**A reminder to those of you that don't know, 10 DAYS til the end of my Pepperony Contest, so if you plan to participate, you better hurry! Only 10 DAYS!**

**Review, and all that fancy stuff! **

* * *

**REPLIES!**

**PercyJacksonLover14: Now did I set your mind at ease? At least a little? And DONE DIE! There's still more to read! T.T (HA)**

**Haytar96: MWAHAHAH! CLIFFHANGER! My specialty! Hope this was soon enough! :)**

**Guest: Did I get to the next part yet? I hope so...:P**

**JesusFreak93: Here's you're cookie! :D *Cookie* You better like that cookie, cause that was that last one...*Makes more* Nevermind. Here have two! *Cookie***

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**Well, Goodbye for now! :D  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Of course, doing my usual, an update before bed! Though it might as well be this one! Haven't seen this one in a while, so I thought you'd guys would enjoy this! After all I did leave it at a bad spot...If you thought that cliffhanger was bad...Then you're probably not going to enjoy what I have in store for you this time...Mwahahahahaha!**

**...Okay. Disclaimer: Imaa is...yeah, you know the rest.**

No matter how many times they tried reasoning with him, he never stopped moving. He continued to push on almost as if they hadn't even said anything. They really didn't want to use any physical force on him, especially in the state he was in, but he wasn't giving them much choice. If he went on like this, he might as well be trying to kill himself.

By the time Tony reached the stairs where everything went down, they finally decided they couldn't allow him to go on any more. His wounds were opening. They could see the blood seeping through the bandages they wrapped around him.

"Tony, stop!" Howard commanded, using the tone a father would to stop their child from misbehaving. "You're going to hurt yourself even more."

Howard had his hand wrapped tightly around Tony's arm, so he could feel it as his son tensed under his grasp. Tony looked down, hiding his eyes.

"Go back to the room and rest, Rhodey will stay with you." Howard stated. "Let me go look for Pepper."

Rhodey glanced at Howard then at Tony, who was physically shaking. He could tell Tony wasn't in a very healthy mental state right now, and Howard looked pretty close to losing it himself. Rhodey wouldn't blame him. After all, from what they could tell, Tony was pretty darn traumatized and might as well not remember them. Being the father, it must be horrible to watch his son go through such a thing.

"Please." Howard finished after a long pause.

Tony lifted his head, eyes flickering back and forth as if in deep thought. He looked like he was speed reading through a children's book. Line after line. He moved as if he was trying to politely shrug off Howard's hand. Howard's hand remained.

Silence lingered in the air, waiting for some kind of response from Tony. The air was really tense, as if it could be cut with scissors.

Moments seemed like forever until Tony finally decided to respond. Only he didn't really say anything. He just pushed Howard's hand away, and marched his way down the stairs, looking as if it was really hard _not _to say something. Maybe he just didn't want to hurt their feelings by saying something.

Howard debated following his son, or staying and watching for when Sim wakes up. He probably shouldn't leave him alone, saying if he escaped there's no telling what he would do. After what happened earlier, Howard didn't feel too comfortable leaving the man out of his sight.

"Rhodey you follow him, I'm not leaving Sim alone." Howard said, giving his son more glance before he patted Rhodey on the back, trusting him with his son.

* * *

Tony and Rhodey walked silently side by side. With Rhodey trying to remain calm when Tony seemed ready for freak out. At first he tried asking questions, but Tony shut him down a bit roughly. Rhodey could tell he hadn't meant it, but it still hurt.

Rhodey didn't even question him when they exited the mansion all together. Through the back door though. Tony both seemed like he knew the place by heart, but he also looked as if he was lost. He checked almost every door before they left the hallway that led to the back door.

It was when they walked into a decent sized shed, which seemed a bit too nicely cared for, that he wanted to ask questions. But when he looked at Tony's face, he seemed equally confused and lost. Tony must not have been there before, but then why lead him there?

He softly and carefully placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony…what is this place?"

Tony blinked a few times, roughly. It looked like he was having trouble thinking clearly or something. Or like he was trying to remember something. It didn't even seem as if he had heard him.

Tony walked towards the corner of the front room of the nicely cared for shed, which had a back room. He looked at a few things on the shelf, before knocking them all down, in a clatter.

"Tony!" Rhodey said shocked. But he didn't move. Tony looked both winded and panicked. Rhodey knew it was best to keep his distance. He was smart enough to know when someone was over the edge. Those people didn't usually have the best of temper.

When Tony finally moved away from the corner, where it was now cluttered with broken glass, metal, and a couple small boxes. There was a poster on the wall. Well…there was until Tony ripped it down. After Tony messily and loudly knocked over one of the shelves, Rhodey was ready to step in before Tony destroyed the place.

"Tony, stop this isn't…" Rhodey began, but his voice trailed off as soon as he noticed Tony pulling up the dark green carpet. He was looking for something. He changed his train of thought. "What are you looking for?"

Tony looked at him, almost startled by the words. But responded anyways. "A doorway, or a…uh…passage way…" At least his voice was getting a little bit better, but it still seemed too croaky and rough.

Rhodey understood what Tony was trying to do, and decided to help him. They found nothing in the room, so they moved on to the back room. Which was poorly kept compared to the front room. The wood on the walls was coming apart and the place looked like it hadn't been used in ages, guessing from the cobwebs and dust.

"I remember," Tony started, coughing as they searched. "The first…the first night I woke up here."

Tony hadn't finished what he started to say for a while, and Rhodey didn't push it. He hadn't expected Tony to really talk to him. He seemed too crazed in finding that door.

"I hadn't remembered how I got here…" Tony paused in order to push the desk that was collecting dust in the center of the room. "Sim told me that…that he'd saved me."

Rhodey's blood went cold at the mention of Sim.

Tony coughed, then continued. "He said he'd found m-me, ready to die somewhere…he wouldn't say. Said it wasn't important…"

Rhodey paused his searching. That wasn't important?

"The first…few w-weeks, were a haze…I couldn't remember m-my name, or who I was before." Tony stopped his searching completely, his eyes glossed over as if stuck in a memory. Probably was. "All I remembered was a white room…*cough*…W-when I first came out of the room, I couldn't remember anything. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember a…a thing."

It was getting harder and harder for Rhodey to listen without losing his anger. He was ready to march out of there, and go beat the living hell out of Sim.

"Not even my name." Tony paused, coughing heavily into his hand. "He convinced me that my…my name was A-Annie…and he dressed me up…"

Now Rhodey was having a horrible time keeping his temper. Sim lied to Tony, telling him that his name was Annie? Forced him to dress up like a woman? Then make him his servant?

"I hadn't ev-even questioned his…the reasoning's that he did it." Tony's hand gripped the edge on the desk. "He made me…learn how to…how to speak like a woman, t-to change my voice…"

"Tony." Rhodey finally spoke, using that brotherly tone her used to use with Tony.

He couldn't take anymore. Anymore, would drive himself over the edge. He highly doubted that he'd be able to stop himself from turning around to got beat Sim to death.

But he didn't only do it to help himself.

Tony looked just about ready to have a complete melt down. He was bringing back bad memories, and Rhodey could tell Tony didn't want to talk about them. It must have been more instinct than anything.

Tony looked at him, blinking madly as if he was just woken up. "Rhodey?"

Rhodey froze. Tony's been saying his name a lot, as Annie, of course, so there was no doubt that he knew his name, but the way he said it. The tone of voice he used was different. As if he was just realizing something. Just remembering.

Rhodey decided it wasn't best to waste any more time. He wanted to talk, and get reacquainted with his best friend, with his brother, but he knew they were running on time. Tony said they might already be too late…

He placed a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder. He nodded, hoping Tony would see his silent resolve.

Tony smiled ever so slightly, and nodded back. Returning the room the silence.

* * *

Pepper pulled against invisible chains. She wanted to move. She wanted to sit up. To sit up and move, was all that she wanted, but she couldn't get even that. She hated the silence the room had. The brightness of the white that surrounded her.

She hated it.

It was a prison.

It kept her prison for who knows how long. She hated it.

She wanted to scream to the nothingness, but her throat was dry and she couldn't find her voice. Her legs received pins and needles every time she tried to move them, and her arms felt numb from pulled at the invisible chains.

In almost an instant, she became relaxed and calm, and drowsy. She panicked. She couldn't fall asleep! Not again! No! What was happening!

_Come on! Pe….what? What was that? _Was that supposed to be her name? But what was it? What was her name?

She couldn't think no more on the matter, the darkness took over.

**I can name one person who's not going to be so happy with me about this...XD Mwahahahaha! I'm am the master of EVIL! Bow down to me! Mwhahaha*chokes* yeah...no more evil laughing for me. Just kidding, please don't bow to me... ^^"**

**Fun Fact: _I have a crazy fear about school buses...Probably because the last time I had to ride them, the conditions were awful! Seats were missing and shredded, and not to mention CROWDED, and when I was in kindergarten, I had to sit on some creepy goth 8th graders lap, because they lacked space. I was tiny, so the 8th grader seemed like a giant to me. _**

**Okay you guys, I've officially creeped myself out! The entire time I wrote this, I was listening to Resident Evil's Main Theme by Marilyn Manson...O.O you gotta listen to it. **

**And before I do Replies, I must say that this story is probably one of the first to ever go OFFICIALLY like planned! I didn't make no drastic change to my own plot in this one. So far, I've seemed to keep to my original Plot! :D **

**REPLIES!**

**Firework471: Thanks! Here you go! Now on to the next...**

**PercyJacksonLover14: Has your mind exploded yet? Should I be worried? Am I evil enough yet? And Mwahahaha! I shall never let your mind rest!...At least not yet...*looks away***

**Guest: Bingo, At least I hope so! ;) And THANKS! :D **

**Looking forward to you're reviews! :D **

**Hugs and Love, SilverPedals!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I've decided I shouldn't leave this one hanging. Especially with how I left this one. One of my worst cliffhangers...I think. ^^"**

**Disclaimer: IMAA is NOT mine! Nor will it ever be!**

They came upon a steel door. After minutes of searching, they finally found a door. They just about decided to turn around and look someplace else, but Rhodey noticed something in the wall. He could see the corner of a light colored metal beyond the wooden walls of the room, which were falling apart.

Tony helped him pull the wood away from the wall, and they came upon the steel wall. Which, lucky for them, was unlocked.

Tony didn't wait for Rhodey as he pushed on ahead of Rhodey, who rushed himself to keep up. He didn't like the idea of Tony running, saying blood was seeping through the bandages on his side. But the look of determination and panic kept him from stopping him. Whatever it was that Tony was worrying about, had to about Pepper.

They came upon a ladder that led deep underground. They went down it without a pause. Well, at least Tony did. Rhodey wasn't all for storming the place.

"Hey!" A man's voice shouted, "You can't be down here!"

The man sounded panicked, as if it was specifically _Tony_ that couldn't be down there. Tony didn't care. Actually he shoved that man away when he stood in front of him.

There was plenty of other men, in lab coats and fancy suits. Most of them panicked about them being down there, but some of them remained calm as they tried to put a stop to Tony and Rhodey. Tony wasn't having any of that.

…

Howard kept a close eye on Sim. Who, at some point confessed to being the Simon they'd been originally looking for. The man actually seemed quite smug for someone who's been beaten. Which made Howard highly uncomfortable. It made him feel like he missed something. Something that was very important.

"Where's Pepper?" Howard demanded.

Sim or – Simon, smirked. "They won't find her."

"You don't know my son." Howard said, his tone low.

"And you don't know Tony."

Now that was just low. That was going too far. There was no way, Sim – Simon knew Tony more than he did. There was no way that Tony was going to let Pepper get hurt.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" Sim questioned with a smug smirk.

Howard didn't reply to that, instead he just glared. "Where's Pepper."

"They won't find her on time. They're going to be too late."

Howard stood up, and walked out of the room. He wasn't going to listen to that man. That man who though 'saving' Tony meant keeping his son away from him. If he really did save his son, then he would have returned him to his father as soon as he could.

He was disgusted just thinking about the man. It was bad enough that he had to be in the same room as the guy.

He spent his time wondering what they guy meant, though. Too late? Too late for what? Even Tony said that they might've been too late…were they really too late? Had something happened to Pepper? Was she hurt? Or worse…

He groaned. His head was really hurting. He was thinking way too hard about this…

…

The door opened with a burst. Tony and Rhodey piled into the small room. The room was white and full of experiment tools, and two scientists.

But that wasn't what they were looking at. Right in the center of the room, lay Pepper wearing nothing but a hospital gown. She was gazing at the ceiling as if nothing had happened. Her wrists and ankles, which were chained to the table she laid on, bled from all the struggling she must have done.

Rhodey glared angrily at the scientists. "What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?"

Tony was too frozen in his tracks to move, let alone speak. He was left staring in horror at the scene before him.

_Pepper…_

Two distant thuds, as two bodies hit the ground was heard. Snapping Tony from his trance. He stepped forward, his eyes not leaving from Pepper.

Rhodey beat him to her, and place a hand on her shoulder. "Pepper, we're here."

She jerked from his touch almost as if he'd hurt her. Rhodey pulled his hand away, confused. Then he quickly went to the chains. He had to get them off of her, then maybe she'd be more comfortable.

"Pepper, we're going to get you out of here." Rhodey assured her. "Talk to me, Pepper."

Rhodey tugged a bit on the chains causing Pepper to flail around. "Pepper, stop! I'm trying to help you!"

Tony stepped forward again, images flashing through his head as he did so. That…table…this…room. "S-stop!"

Rhodey looked up at Tony's sudden shout. "But Tony, she needs help."

Tony didn't reply, he only stepped close enough so that he could easily touch Pepper if he wanted to. But he didn't. He remained speechless as he stared into her unseeing eyes. He'd noticed the signs of where needles had been in Pepper's arms and legs.

"Pepper." He whispered.

Tony reached a hand out to softly touch her arm. She flinched away, but he didn't remove his hand. "You're going to have to trust me."

She actually turned her head towards him. She still pulled against his touch, but he didn't let go. More images flashed through his head as Pepper's eyes rolled in her head. Image after image, flash after flash, over and over and over again.

Not again. No. Not right now. Not now. No. Not again…not –

"Tony." Rhodey's voice broke through his rapid breathing and troubled thoughts. "You okay?'

Tony blinked, realizing that he was shaking. He shook his head, completely clearing his mind of the images. The…memories. He couldn't have a panic attack. Not now.

He pointed at a switch on the wall nearby, "Sw-switch it…"

Rhodey looked over, and did as he was told. And the instant he did so, the chains around Pepper's wrists and ankles released. Tony pulled her off the table immediately.

"Pepper." He began. "Pepper, listen to me."

She twitched and moved in his hold as he kneeled down on the ground. Rhodey sat next to him, looking worriedly at Pepper.

"Pepper," Tony continued. "Pepper, look at me. Open your eyes Pepper. Can you do that?"

Tony shook her limp form, waiting for some kind of response. When more time passed and she wasn't responding, he was beginning to worry.

"Pepper!" He continued on, loudly this time. "I n-need you to do me a…f-favor alright?"

Rhodey could tell that Tony was breathing really hard and fast. His forehead was dripping sweat as he visibly forced himself to stay awake. He'd lost too much blood and Rhodey knew it. Tony was pushing himself too far.

"Tony, you're going to bleed out." Rhodey said.

Tony ignored him. "P-pepper, Pepper, listen t-to…me. You're going to have to…to wake up!" He smiled ever so weakly as she moved her head towards him, her eyelids twitching. "Th-that's it!"

Rhodey grabbed one of Pepper's hands, out of worry. She was scaring him, how she was acting. She was scaring him. Why was she like this? Why wouldn't she respond? Why did she flinch earlier?

"Tony, she'll be okay right?"

Again, Tony ignored him. "Pepper, you c-can open…y-your eyes now…"

Pepper groaned, finally blinking her closed eyes open. It was like a weight was lifted of their chest. She was awake!

She snapped to sit up, but winced and fell back into Tony's arms. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Pepper, you're…okay now. You're s-safe now…Pepper." Tony said, pulling her into a hug, just as his own eyes closed.

…

Howard checked on the disgusting excuse for a man every once in a while. He felt it necessary to make sure the man hadn't escaped at all. Every time he did, the man had something new to say. He ignored the man of course, only worrying about his son's safety. The other two's as well, of course. But his son…was the one that was hurt…

He wished he had a clock nearby, but the nearest one broke in their fight, it stopped telling time long ago. At least the correct time. So he couldn't tell how long he'd been waiting for them to return. He was starting to wonder if he should go look for them.

It wasn't like Sim – Simon – was going to escape right?

He gave one more check on Simon before he decided to head out. He was pretty sure that they had left the mansion. So he had a good chance of finding them if he went outside. Maybe he could get one of the servants to watch over Simon for him….no. He couldn't do that. They seemed pretty hateful of the guy themselves. Especially after what they saw earlier that day.

He'd just have to trust that Simon was tied down well enough…

There was the distant sound of worried voices as soon as he stepped on the stairs. They got louder as soon as Howard decided to investigate what the noise was about. Before he even left the staircase, the commotion burst into the room. Not really burst, but they entered.

"Rhodey!" Howard gasped.

He didn't hesitate to rush to Rhodey's aid, who was carrying an unconscious Tony on his back, while trying to keep a staggering Pepper from tripped in front of him. A few familiar servants trailed worriedly behind them.

Being the father he was, he took Tony from Rhodey's back. "What happened!?"

Rhodey shook his head. "Not now."

Howard nodded, agreeing that it wasn't the time. Story time would have to wait until they had Tony and Pepper taken care of.

**Okay, be honest. It wasn't bad right? :S At least it didn't leave with such a bad cliffhanger... ^^"**

**Fun Fact: _I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in my family that likes Candy Corn...My lil bro almost cried when I got him to try a piece. Yeah, apparently it was that bad..._**

**I'm currently (when I get the chance) working on either Deception or _Snow Storms_! AND I'm oh so discreetly working on one of my older stories! ;) Oh and a few others you might like! (TheElevator/BabyGenius...) No promises on when, but I DO plan on working on them!**

**REPLIES!**

**Guest: Sorry! This better? :) And Thanks! To both you guests!**

**PercyJacksonLover14: Actually, yeah. You were. ^^" And, DON'T FREAK OUT ON ME! NOT JUST YET! *Panics* You'll see! It'll get easier! Forgive me! Oh and THANK YOU for the Lovely review! :)**

**Firework471: I know me too! Maybe their first meeting wasn't the best, but who knows...maybe the next meeting will be better! *Eyes auther...O.O* **

**Okay, that's about it! :D Hugs and Love SilverPedals!**


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